When it comes to Assange rape case, the Swedes are making it up as they go along

It is not Julian Assange that is on trial here but Sweden and its reputation as a modern and model country with rules of law, writes Melbourne barrister James D. Catlin who acted for Julian Assange in London in October.

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Apparently having consensual sex in Sweden without a condom is punishable by a term of imprisonment of a minimum of two years for rape. That is the basis for a reinstitution of rape charges against WikiLeaks figurehead Julian Assange that is destined to make Sweden and its justice system the laughing stock of the world and dramatically damage its reputation as a model of modernity.

Sweden’s Public Prosecutor’s Office was embarrassed in August this year when it leaked to the media that it was seeking to arrest Assange for rape, then on the same day withdrew the arrest warrant because in its own words there was “no evidence”. The damage to Assange’s reputation is incalculable. More than three quarters of internet references to his name refer to rape. Now, three months on and three prosecutors later, the Swedes seem to be clear on their basis to proceed. Consensual sex that started out with a condom ended up without one, ergo, the sex was not consensual.

For three months Assange had been waiting in vain to hear whether media statements by and for the two female “victims” that there was no fear or violence were going to be embellished so the charges might be carried forward due to greater seriousness. Such statements would stop a rape charge in any Western country dead in its tracks. Rape is a crime of violence, duress or deception. You can rape someone by deluding them into thinking you are someone else or by drugging them or by reason of their young age but essentially it’s a crime of violence.

The women here are near to and over 30 and have international experience, some of it working in Swedish government embassies. There is no suggestion of drugs nor identity concealment. Far from it. Both women boasted of their celebrity connection to Assange after the events that they would now see him destroyed for.

That further evidence hasn’t been confected to make the charges less absurd does Sweden no credit because it has no choice in the matter. The phenomena of social networking through the internet and mobile phones constrains Swedish authorities from augmenting the evidence against Assange because it would look even less credible in the face of tweets by Anna Ardin and SMS texts by Sofia Wilén boasting of their respective conquests after the “crimes”.

In the case of Ardin it is clear that she has thrown a party in Assange’s honour at her flat after the “crime” and tweeted to her followers that she is with the “the world’s coolest smartest people, it’s amazing!”. Go on the internet and see for yourself. That Ardin has sought unsuccessfully to delete these exculpatory tweets from the public record should be a matter of grave concern. That she has published on the internet a guide on how to get revenge on cheating boyfriends ever graver. The exact content of Wilén’s mobile phone texts is not yet known but their bragging and exculpatory character has been confirmed by Swedish prosecutors. Niether Wilén’s nor Ardin’s texts complain of rape.

But then neither Arden nor Wilén complained to the police but rather “sought advice”, a technique in Sweden enabling citizens to avoid just punishment for making false complaints. They sought advice together, having collaborated and irrevocably tainted each other’s evidence beforehand. Their SMS texts to each other show a plan to contact the Swedish newspaper Expressen beforehand in order to maximise the damage to Assange. They belong to the same political group and attended a public lecture given by Assange and organised by them. You can see Wilén on the YouTube video of the event even now.

Of course, their celebrity lawyer Claes Borgström was questioned as to how the women themselves could be essentially contradicting the legal characterisation of Swedish prosecutors; a crime of non-consent by consent. Borgström’s answer is emblematic of how divorced from reality this matter is. “They (the women) are not jurists”. You need a law degree to know whether you have been r-ped or not in Sweden. In the context of such double think, the question of how the Swedish authorities propose to deal with victims who neither saw themselves as such nor acted as such is easily answered: You’re not a Swedish lawyer so you wouldn’t understand anyway. The consent of both women to sex with Assange has been confirmed by prosecutors.

Proposed reforms of Swedish rape laws would introduce a test of whether the unequal power relations between the parties might void the sincerely expressed consent of one party. In this case, presumably, the politically active Ardin, with experience fielding gender equity complaints as a gender equity officer at Uppsala University, had her will suborned by Assange’s celebrity. The prosecutor coming as she does from a prosecution “Development Unit” could achieve this broadening of the law during Assange’s trial so he can be convicted of a crime that didn’t exist at the time he allegedly committed it. She would need to. There is no precedent for it. The Swedes are making it up as they go along.

A great deal more damning evidence is yet to be revealed about what passes for legal process in Sweden, such as Assange’s lawyers having not received a single official document until November 18, 2010 (and then in Swedish language contrary to European Law) and having to learn about the status of investigations through prosecution media announcements but make no mistake: it is not Julian Assange that is on trial here but Sweden and its reputation as a modern and model country with rules of law.

*James D. Catlin is a Melbourne barrister who acted for Julian Assange in London during October.

133 thoughts on “When it comes to Assange rape case, the Swedes are making it up as they go along”

Even Murdoch’s rags have reported something similar to Catilin: (below is a small extract from a story via The Oz from original story in The Times.)

theaustralian.com.au/news/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-escapes-arrest-in-britain-after-warrant-blunder/story-e6frg6n6-1225964413116
Sean O’Neill, Frances Gibb, and Catherine Philp From: The Times December 02, 2010
………………..
Mr Stephens [his London-based lawyer,] said that Mr Assange was originally wanted on a charge of rape but that it had been thrown out after a partially successful appeal. As a result, he said, the current allegations did not justify an arrest warrant under Swedish law.

“The sole ground for the warrant is the prosecutor’s blatantly false allegation that he is on the run from justice: he left Sweden lawfully and has offered himself for questioning. An appeal against this decision was filed on Monday and is pending.”
…………
“This is a persecution not a prosecution,” Mr Stephens said. “It is highly unusual for a red notice warrant to be issued in relation to the allegations reported as having been made, since Swedish law does not require custodial orders in relation to the allegation.”

These accusations had a stench about them from the beginning. If Assange’s ‘celebrity’ can be measured for criminal culpability it will establish an extraordinary precedent. Anyone who is bedded by a famous person will be able to, on a whim, claim r*pe after the event.

Indeed, it’s about time somebody gave us the facts of these charges. I have been wondering why Assange hasn’t been making a big noise in his own defence because, as with such things, the quieter he is the guiltier he appears to be.

Sweden has certainly become a laughing stock. What a joke they are. There is one word which describes those two “women” although the moderator would not print.
Be very, very careful if you’re intending visiting Sweden.

Nobody abhors rape more than me, but I also abhor people being unjustly charged with a crime they didn’t commit. I have no doubt, that this is trumped up to damage his credibility for ‘offending’ the powers that be for revealing truths we all have/had a right to know. It won’t surprise me if he has a ‘nasty accident’? I’m not surprised at all by this!Didn’t Bush sign a Presidential decree that gave him the right to kill anyone, anywhere in the world he pleases – if of course they’re ‘terrorists’? Obama could do the same thing? What names are the mad Republicans calling Julian Assange? Yep, a terrorist! Let’s have more like him I say! I’m glad he has good legal representation, particularly one who’ll tell us the real story!

If those women are creating a story and go ahead with it, I’ll be disgusted! Surely with the ability and right to gather phone records etc, this case would be thrown out of court, but of course, there would be awful stress suffered in the interim. Let’s hope sanity prevails. They can’t all be in the ‘pay’ of the US/UK/NATO etc could they?

Well written, and if accurate this story suggests that it is indeed a persecution. With the absurdists on the rise in the USA and elsewhere Mr Assange needs to take great care of his personal safety. I can only wish him well. As for Sweden, oh dear. . .

Yep, this whole thing is totally bizarre. But I live in Sweden from time to time and it unfortunately it doesn’t surprise me. They are modern in many areas (heh, you know the NBN? They had it 10 years ago…) but their bureaucracy is a bit much. None of the departments communicate with each other.

For example, to get a job you need a “personal number”, but to get a personal number you need to have a work permit, but to get a work permit, you need a job. Eventually you’ll get it worked out, but not before you’ve been walked around in circles for weeks if not months.

Each department has it’s own rules and tough sh*t if the rules conflict. That’s your problem, not theirs.

So with bureaucracy like that, I can fully understand how they’ve screwed this up so badly. They’ve got little napoleons all over the place.

James – your article appears to make it crystal clear that this whole business of the r-pe charges is a furphy. It was never about that, but all about WL and Julian Assange’s part in it.
Perhaps Assange should try hacking into a few specially selected foreign embassies in Sweden – in my opinion, that is where the answers will be found.
Sweden has not exactly covered itself in glory over this most distasteful of episodes. If anything adverse should happen to this man, like the “execution” some are advocating, be it upon the heads of those in Sweden who started it all. They should be made pariahs around the world.

I feel angry for genuine rape victims. The two ‘victims’ in Assange’s case disrespect the very women at least one of them has devoted a part of her life to helping. To use a serious and life-altering crime as revenge for some slight or as a way to hurt the WL founder is appalling and, if they are found to have lied (as seems inevitable), they should be prosecuted. I expect Assange will sue for defamation.

As a swede, I can say that the international attention this is getting is great. Our legal system isn’t that great when it comes to rape, obviously, and the national media has not exposed the flaws at all. I’m hoping all this international attention will spread awareness of this. I am ashamed obviously but hopefully it will bring some good things with it as well.

Meski, I cannot say if any case like this has been prosecuted successfully but I know that evidence is not necessary for a guilty verdict. If the judge deems the woman’s story to be trustworthy, that is enough.

It was not rape as the word is used in Australia or the United States. The charge is “having sex without a condom”. The accusers went to the police station together long after the acts took place and if the information is correct, asked about a mandatory HIV test. Assange is guilty of stupidity perhaps, pulling a “Clinton”. having sex with women who wanted to pull him down to size. I feel so sorry for Assange, because he blew it. He messed up the mission because of an emission. I wonder if his accusers saved the dress the way Monica Lewinsky did. There is a lesson in it. The days of male dominance in sex has changed, and men have to learn to be much more careful. Even a roll in the hay with a consenting adult will get you two years in Sweden.

Makes you wonder how the Australian government will approach this, given it’s own outrageously poor record of supporting Australian’s charged with crimes overseas, especially where the USA is pulling the strings. As for Sweden, you are now fools in the eyes of the world where once you were a model – especially for Australia. One way of showing our protest is for Australians to stop buying from their biggest export – IKEA.

Perhaps also add Volvo automobiles to your list of products to avoid purchasing. As a US citizen recently back from a visit to Sweden, I was very impressed with the country, and pleased to be affiliated with it through heritage. Now I am quite disappointed and rather ashamed of both of my national affiliations.

A concerned reader should add Amazon to one’s list of outlets not to buy books, since Amazon kowtowed to Big Brother US’s intimidation to have Amazon ban webhosting Wikileaks.

The Swedish accusation is a crock. Assange’s British lawyer has stated: “Neither Mr Assange nor his lawyers have been provided with any further information beyond that reported in the press. This appears to be a persecution and a prosecution.”
The warrant issued by director of prosecutions Marianne Ty is political. She’s already stuffed up the warrant documentation and is probably waiting from insstructions from the CIA as to how next to proceed.

Meanwhile almost all US politicians are busy searching for laws he could have broken.
If they find any be wary they may come from a rebranded ‘Office of Strategic Intelligence’ who helped dream up weapons of mass deception.

THIS ISSUE OF INFORMATION ‘LEAKING’ IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE CAN IMAGINE. THE BIG BOYS ARE VERY UPSET AT THEIR CONTROL OVER INFO BEING UNDERMINED. BOYCOTTING IKEA….OR SWEDISH PRODUCTS, IS PISSING IN THE WIND.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND ACCESS TO ‘THE FACTS’ HAS BECOME DUBIOUS AT BEST. ASSANGE IS DOING US (KNOWN AS THE GREAT IGNORANT MASSES BY CORPORATE/MEDIA/POLITICAL POWER BROKERS) A REAL FAVOUR. HE IS EMPOWERING US. SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT…??

James D Catlin is painting a less than flattering picture of the swedish justice system. However he is just scraping the surface. The truth is even more horrifying than this.

Sweden prides itself with beeing “the most equal” country in the world, but it´s all a big scam. Over 5000 men , while only 294 women are serving jailtime( KVV 2009). The swedish gouvernment are jailing men for violence or sexcrimes against women and children whithout any proof at all. One member of the supreme court has stated puplicly that “If we can keep the number of innocent that are convicted under 500 a year, we should be happy”. This would mean that over a 1000 men (one fifth) of all inprisoned men are innocently locked up at the moment. In the international statistics of convicted for rape, Sweden is number two, after Lesotho in Africa. Still the feminist state is not content. So now they are proposing a law that would outlaw sex without a written contract. No I am not joking. I wish I was, believe me.

At the same time the custody fights have doubled in the last ten years. Over 7000 children a year are now beeing forced to experiance their parents tearing eachother to shreds in the family courts and the fathers are almost always destined to loose. At the same time the authoroties totally denies any illegal discrimination. Even though several swedish district courts (ex Lund, and Jönköping) have been found giving single custody to the mothers in 100 % of all custodyfights, they still totally deny any illegal dsicrimination.

You just have to compare how many complaints that have been made, with the number of times anyone have been convicted. The authoroty in Sweden that handles this is DO (diskrimineringsombudsmannen).

Many of the men ending up in jail are fathers that tried to stand up for their rights to see their children after a divorce.

Over 300 000 Swedish children now see their father 2 days every two weeks or less. If they are lucky enough to see him at all. People that are trying to protest and speak up about this gross injustice are beeing harassed and percecuted. Very few pople dare anymore.

This is the truth about the “Equal” state of Sweden. But just parts of it. The “victims” lawyer Claes Borgström is a political puppet. He got the former prime minister candidate Mona Sahlin freed from charges of fraud in the 90´s, and after that he became in charge of “JÄMO” former “bureau of equality”.

But when the swedish gouvernment talk about equality they mean feminism. In sweden these two words are now one and the same. How corrupt Claes Borgström really is was revealed by swedish journalist Hannes Råstam last year when he made a documentary i two parts about Thomas Quick. Swedens firts real “serial killer”. Convicted of 8 murders. It turned out though that he never commited a single one of them. He was just a mentally ill man high on drugs, that happily confessed to everything as long as they kept feeding him his drugs.

His lawyer was Claes Borgström. [Moderator: this comment has been edited] Any sane democracy would make that conclusion after what he have done. But Sweden is no longer a sane democracy. It is a feminist banana republic with a judicinal system that makes even the Iranian look pretty ok.

Who am I? A swedish dad that have been denied my human right to see my daughter for 5 years this christmas, without any justification at all. She will be 6 years old the 17 of december. Just another one of the thousands of swedish children that are beeing violently torn from their fathers each year. You really want to know about swedish justice? Make sure you can handle the smell.

1. What to do with the information that reveals inappropriate conduct/illegal acts/deliberate misinformation/lies/war crimes/worse? The information would fall into differebnt categories/zones and perhaps each category/zone has an international watchdog – beyond public opinion alone.

2. What the information reveals about the systemic/cultural behaviour of national governments and the failure of international legislation and or watchdogs to monitor, detect, police and enforce this

3. What the information reveals about the abuse of trust, obligations and power of the governments concerns

4. What the international community is failing to do to protect internet freedoms against State censorship, to protect whistleblowers and to protect the public interest.

5. The shortcomings of Swedish criminal law – such as not respecting a presumption of innocence, and inadequate laws to require a standard of proof.

You are quite right that WikiLeaks is doing its bit, and handing the moral international community the ammunition to improve our lot. But to do nothing, but let Assange disappear into obscurity would be derelect.

I’m shocked too! I feel very sad about SWEDISH DAD. It’s not feminism philosophy to issue injustice. Feminism is the strive for equality and justice. If the opposite is being metered out against fathers in Sweden just because they’re male, that’s not feminism, that’s blatant injustice. As a feminist, I would never have anything to do with that sort of behaviour.

I know about injustices done to fathers, and grandmothers too. I have a grandson who I haven’t seen for 17 yrs. His mother refused to obey the Family Court, and it was an exercise in futility, and before grandparents had any legal rights. I’d love to see him but will probably wait until he’s 21, then he can please himself. This child was denied the right to a large and loving family, not to mention his dad – my son! SWEDISH DAD has my sympathy. I made clothes, gave him gifts, and his mother dumped them on my doorstep – to get back at his father. What sort of a woman is that callous, to her child’s detriment?I’ve kept these things and photos close to me, but long to see him again.

@XICO – I use a larger print (due to age??). Some emails I can hardly see – the print is so small. On Windows7 you can use a magnifier? Have you got that facility? It must be very frustrating for you – I sympathise. Capital letters are fine with me!

A few yrs ago it was mooted, that the Bush administration was trying to get rid of the internet, just for this reason – the ‘great unwashed’ were availing themselves of too much information – just like now! Scary!
Notice how the US is tut-tutting Assange, but not one word of shame about their torture; invading countries illegally; handing over millions of dollars to destabilize and fund coups(as in Chile, El Salvador, Venezuela and others) – not one hint of remorse, only outrage at being found out! Arrogance?

“And thou, Daniel, close up the scroll, and seal the book, till the time of the end. When many shall become aware, and knowledge shall be increased and wax to and fro.” Dan 12:4

Wax to and fro? Is that the internet? or am I a monkey’s uncle?

Assange should be a protected species and not persecuted and hunted like a common criminal. He’s a hero for God’s sake. Our own Govt’s response so far has been as disgraceful and typical of all those other nations calling for much of the same.

Sweden for a while there had the highest suicide rate in the world, not sure where it is today, but judging by their judiciary and their preparedness to succour political and CIA interference then Sweden is a lost cause.

@Liz45
I sympathise with your loss and your pain. The discrimination of fathers is more or less a problem in all western countries.

Regarding what I wrote about feminism. I agree that feminism once stood for equality and justice. I think highly of feminists like nobel prize winner Doris Lessing and Erin Pizzey (founder of the worlds first womens shelter). And I also highly recommend reading their books. Especially “Prone to violence” by Erin Pizzey.

But that is not the kind of feminism that has formed the swedish society and it´s judicial system. But rather the kind of feminism founded by women like Valerie Solanas, the author of the SCUM manifest (society for cutting up men), that got fantastic reviews in every swedish newspaper when it was first published in a translated version some years ago. A book that describes men as walking dildoes, animals and mistakes of nature, that should be exterminated. The only thing measure up with the blatant hatred and bigotry of this book is “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler.

If you are stupid enough to defend the latter, you will be branded as a bigot and a nazi, and justifiely so. But in Sweden, if you critisize the former, you will be just as politically incorrect. The radical minority of the feminist movement started to infiltrate the socialist party in the beginning of the 70’s. Just ten years later the media started to fill up with horrible stories about violence against women, pedophiles and mysterious male cults that worshipped satan, murdered and raped children by the hundreds and buried them in the woods. The mass psychoses actually got to the point where hundreds of swedish policemen were digging holes in the forests searching for childrens bodies. Of course they never found any.

One of the sources of these allogations were professor Eva Lundgren at Uppsala University. (Anna Ardins former university). Lundgrens book about these secret male cults were so grotesk and perverse that it would make Charles Mansons skin crawl. You cant but wonder how twisted you have to be, just to make up such things?

The whole thing finally was exposed as lies and fantasies of a very sick mind, but did she get fired? Nope, she is still working as a professor at the university of Uppsala, and is still concidered as the main ideology ingeneer of the biggest organisation for women in Sweden ROKS. A very powerful organisation with ties to the very highest level of gouvernment, and especially the socialist party. (Ardins and Borgströms party). This was exposed in the documentary “The gender war” by swedish journalist Evin Rubar in 2004. The film caused an uproar, but was soon banned by the swedish censurship from ever beeing shown again. One of the boardmembers of the “TV review board” that made this desicion was Lena Adelsson Liljeroth. Member of ROKS and the current minister of culture in Sweden. Rubar got threatened, and percecuted,and had to live with police protection.

Another former professor of the university of Uppsala, Max Scharnberg, recently tried to publish a book about Eva Lundgren, but, and I kid you not, it was banned and burned by the univeristy themselves. They have also made rules that every course on the university now has to be “gender certified”.

I have done my homework. Anyone are free to check these facts.

Into this spiderweb comes a man from Australia that believed that Sweden was a progressive state with freedom of speech that protected the citizens rights against the state. Now he is on Interpols most wanted list. For a broken condom.

But for us in Sweden that in vain have tried to inform anout these things, and have lost our jobs, home, children and means of income because of it. Articles like these are pure painkillers. Maybe finally people will see…

@MAHTAY – Good one! Remember when John Pilger received awards for his amazing documentaries that exposed horrors – the first one I recall was about the genocide in Kampuchea? There’s been many! The journalist who exposed the deaths of those alleged Taliban who were put in containers and driven for miles in extreme heat without food or water, and witnesses said that the containers had ‘ bullet holes in them, with blood on the ground – the people inside either died from that or were buried alive in northern Afghanistan – it’s called, ‘Afghan Massacre’. The allegation was that the US oversaw the whole thing, and one of the main participants was allegedly a Northern Alliance official? is now in Karzai’s govt. He’s one of the Russian criminals who hung around after that war.
The young brave journalist, who was beaten up and left to die received an award. Of course the Pentagon denied all – after their ‘internal’ investigation – wink, wink!It can be viewed online! Very disturbing!

JOURNEYMAN – I agree with you. The man should be protected and applauded. PM Gillard on last night’s news nearly made me sick! Talk about ‘brown nosing’ to the US? Some ultra right Republican called him a terrorist, another an anarchist? How about a ‘truth teller’?
I believe that the sign at the entrance to the CIA says, ‘the truth will set you free’? I suppose it depends whose truth you’re interested in pursuing? Not theirs?

People might be interested in this article – it could be part of Wikileaks but apparently this information was buried in Department of Defence documents as part of an investigation into the deaths of three Guantanamo detainees.

Good one, Liz45 – a brown nosing ranga, what a colour combination. They are scared shitless to have the truth exposed. The man is a hero for those who believe the truth is not negotiable. If they (the USA or any government) is doing things that put others and their citizens at risk, perhaps they should stop doing such. No doubt the Ranga is trying to see things from the point of view of the USA, but just can’t get her head that far up its arse, but she’s trying.

@LORD SLUDGE – Not once have I heard any of them speak of the 1.4 million Iraqi deaths; the thousands in Afghanistan. 100’s of thousands? they don’t ‘do body counts’ do they? What about the kids dying from cholera or malnutrition in both countries, and now the horror of birth defects and increased cancers in Iraq – probably Afghanistan also! Of course they have coffee coloured skin, talk funny, so they’re not real people are they? Not like us fine upstanding democracy loving people?Makes me sick with shame and anger! The more I found out, the angrier I feel.

I wonder if the irony of the so-called WMD’s reason has occurred to any of them – the fact that the US – Britain too probably, increased their use of depleted uranium bombs in ’03 than in the 1990’s? By more than a 100%? Our military people will probably start showing effects soon – and then see how we ‘honour’ their service? They’ll be treated with denial like so many others who are still dying and/or fighting for justice! As I said, depressing, horrific, sickening and beyond angry!

Julian and his colleagues are a breath of fresh air! Truth! You can almost taste it! Feels good!

@SWEDISH DAD – Thank you. I remained silent when my son met a lovely woman, married and they have 3 beautiful children whom I love dearly. I did not want to spoil his happiness or interfere, and so I went along with the whole thing – difficult when you don’t have any legitimacy legally. The last time I saw this little boy was in my unit – the Federal Court judge authorised me to be the person to oversee the visit for his 3rd birthday – I haven’t seen him since, only a photo a year or so ago-he’s almost an identical ‘twin’ of his father at the same age. Life’s challenges! His photo is beside my bed, and I hope one day to show him, so he will know that I never stopped loving him. His mother? The least said the better. I could never have done what she did, but???

I’m shocked by what you’ve written about what is going on in Sweden. I had no idea. Like others, I’ve always thought that country was a leader in social justice, non-sexist issues etc. I can assure you, that I don’t support that sort of behaviour, whether it’s by a man or woman, in fact, I usually feel twice as angry with women, because when they behave like this, they just wind back ‘the cause’ and damage it terribly. I will go to the YouTube sight and see for myself.

I hope that you get to see your little girl soon. It must be a quiet agony to bear. Take care!

Here is the link to the Prosecutor’s Office in Gothenberg – Sweeden:http://www.aklagare.se/In-English/ – where you will see on the right the name of Marianne Ny – together with her ‘phone number – who is pursuing Julian Assange so vigorously but refusing to answer inconsistencies as so amply outlined above:
Director of Prosecution – Marianne Ny – +46 31 739 41 04

You will also find here described under an explanation of the ‘Role of The Prosecutor’ the following requirement for the application of ‘Objectivity’http://www.aklagare.se/In-English/The-role-of-the-prosecutor/Objectivity-demand/
Note in particular:
‘The prosecutor must also be objective when he or she initiates a prosecution. During the course of the trial it is admittedly the prosecutor’s task to prove that a crime has been committed, but the prosecutor is obliged to give due consideration to anything that could changes the situation with respect to evidence.’

It appears Marianne Ny has demonstrated complete disregard for the responsibilities required of her

I guess you all know what to do with the telephone number and links – after all you’re a social bunch – twitter twitter!

Many people have a mistaken belief that Sweden is still a model of progressive Liberalism, neutral, pro peace and a bastion of free speech. For many years now Sweden has a been ruled by a motley coalition of Conservatives, Royalists, Farmers and Christian interests, some of whom are advocating joining NATO, reducing Abortion rights for women and giving strong support for Israel. Carl Bildt the Swedish Foreign Minister famously supported George Bush’s Iraq War and accused Russia of a Nazi style invasion of Georgia in 2008 (the facts later showed that it was Georgia, ruled by another George Bush poodle that did the invading). US ambassador to Sweden, Michael Wood wrote (as recorded in the WikiLeak logs) that even though the official Swedish line is non-alignment, Swedish participation in NATO’s Partnership for Peace and role as leader of the EU’s Nordic Battle Group show that the position is an untruth.
Sweden is a fully paid up member of the US ‘International Community’ and has one of the most Right Wing governments in Europe. Julian Assange was badly mistaken if he thought he was going to get sanctuary against US oppression there.

Reminds me the case of a certain Michael Jackson, victim of extorsion twice. Everybody came to think he had done something. Even me. In 2009, Chandler has commited suicide and his son admitted about his father’s lies in the past to get money.

The Arvizos in 2005 used the same accusations against Jackson, knowing being accused twice would make its effect…and then we discovered they did the same accusations before : Janet, the mother, accused the security agents at JC Penney of raping her, while arrested for shoplifting…they got loads of money for this during a settlement. It was discovered to be false accusations later. When her son got cancer, she did everything so he could be in Jackson’s environment. They made accusations again. Jackson was innocent on all charges and the trial was a complete circus, the medias being the accusers too at this point.

In february 2010, the FBI revealed their files about Jackson, and the proof is there again; they found nothing about Jackson that could incriminate him. He has been taped and followed over 15 years. Still, the media and the world kept on spreading the creepy stories, even thought those stories have been all proven wrong. Even Aphrodite Jone’s book about the trial, with step-by-step explanations about the case didn’t change the world’s opinion.

Supporters of WikiLeaks around the world are downloading a file the site calls an insurance policy. The files are encrypted with a code so strong it’s unbreakable, even by governments. If anything happens to Assange or the website, a key will go out to unlock the files. There would then be no way to stop the information from spreading like wildfire because so many people already have copies. http://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/7962849636786176

In order to stop the character assignations of men by women who claim to have been assaulted, we must prosecute those women that have been found to have filed false complaints! Their punishment should be the same sentence that the male would have been given had he been found guilty.

This does not mean that every case of ‘not guilty’ verdict should be prosecuted, only those cases that can be shown that the charges are false! Unfortunately, mis-identification iss usually a human error, and should be exempt!

Sweden is a basket case. Just recently they sentenced a mother and a father to 9 months in jail, + a hefty fine + seizure of their children (possibly forever) because they spanked 3 of their 4 children. I’m not a fan of hitting children on the buttocks but apparently the home is a nice one, the kids are happy, etc. This was not drunken violence.

As to the charge of rape. RAPE? Have you had a good look at Assange? He doesn’t look like he’s got enough blood in him to raise a hard on! What’s the fuss?

I am seeking guidance in relation to this article, as I think I may have missed something. Under what section of Criminal Code of the Kingdom of Sweden does your comment relate to?
“Apparently having consensual sex in Sweden without a condom is punishable by a term of imprisonment of a minimum of two years for rape.”

I have read Chapter Six “On Sexual Crimes” of their criminal code I could not find such an offence? Or is that the allegation the Swedish Prosecutors are relying upon? Which I would then assume is brought under a charge of Section 2 of Chapter 6:
Section 2
A person who, under circumstances other than those defined in
Section 1, makes someone engage in a sexual act by unlawful
coercion shall be sentenced for sexual coercion to imprisonment for
at most two years.
If the person who committed the act exhibited particular
ruthlessness or if the crime is otherwise considered gross, a sentence
of at least six months and at most four years shall be imposed for
gross sexual coercion. (Law 1992:147)

I’m thinking that if the charge they are pursuing is this one, the allegation about the condom or lack there of, is one where the victim is alleging that Mr Assange gained consent on the promise of practicing safe sex but then proceeded somehow without actually using the condom.

Would you please provide me with clarification, as it would be ridiculous to think that it’s an offence to have sex without a condom. How would people in monogamous relationships stand? That’s why I’m thinking the actual charge is Sect 2 of Chapter 6.

@SWEDISH DAD – I went to the YouTube site that you suggested, and I agree with you – what a sick joke – she’s just appalling. Thankfully, that would not happen in Australia.

@BOB EGAN – I agree. As a woman who’s been involved with women’s fight for equality and justice, and there’s still much to be achieved, women who make false claims of rape are despicable and should have to face their peers also – via court. It has taken so many years to have just guidelines re sexual assaults and for women to bring these gains into disrepute is unforgivable. It was only a couple of decades ago when there was no such crime as a man raping his wife – he could do as he pleased short of death, and even then there was the ‘provocation law’ that has only recently been removed. So few cases get to Court, and even fewer result in conviction. In NSW and other states, I think, there are strong legal ground rules re consent – being drunk or drugged is no excuse, further, if a woman(usually the victim) is drunk or drugged, she can not give ‘real’ consent.

A charge of rape just because the man has not used a condom for all or part of the ‘act’ seems quite bizarre to me. Irresponsible, yes; non-caring, yes, but a crime? Of rape? I don’t think so! Rape has nothing to do with sex or sexual gratification, it’s to do with power and control, and the need to denigrate via fear and humiliation. In fact, I recall a case in Australia, where an alleged rapist was not convicted because the woman asked him to use a condom? Sort that one out? As far as I’m concerned, she was terrified of what was going to happen, but at least spare her the chance of being pregnant? But no, considered a ‘form’ of consent??? As I said, we still have a way to go!

I think the charges should be dropped; the women charged with conspiring to cause a miscarriage of justice or something similar, and the so-called prosecutor removed from her post – immediately!
If I were Julian, I’d be very careful what I ate, drank and where; and employ some pretty savvy body guards.

Further to my previous comment, is there a special dispensation for couples trying to have a child, that they can have sex without a condom? If that is in fact correct, what a nightmare. It’s difficult enough dealing here in Qld just to get a drivers license or any kind of authority, let alone having to make an application to the state authorities to get a permit to have sex without condom in order to have a child.

At the risk of sounding paranoid, what if the ‘powers that be’ went on a shopping expedition, checked out and were alerted to this horror of a judicial system in Sweden, and thought, ‘ha ha – way to go’? and set it up -with two willing women who were offered some big bucks? Sound farciful? I don’t think so! That would be an easy solution to the embarrassment suffered by the Western governments, individuals etc? The only good thing, is that apparently there are phone records and YouTube footage etc. Even I could put forward a good case in Court? Well, perhaps not, but it wouldn’t be too difficult. If they wanted to nail Julian on something really abhorent like rape, they stuffed it up – all the way!

((((I believe that the sign at the entrance to the CIA says, ‘the truth will set you free’? I suppose it depends whose truth you’re interested in pursuing? Not theirs?)))

In a similar vein, Mossad carries the seven candle-stick Menorah as it’s national emblem. What a disgrace that an institution like Mossad that does the “things” that it does, can carry something so sacred as the Menorah as it’s emblem…Sacrilege!!!

Gillard’s values are clearly factionally conditional.
Australian highly valued rights of its citizens abroad is clearly conditional with Gillard. Australian highly valued rights of freedom of speech is clearly conditional with Gillard.
Australian highly valued rights of whistleblowers is clearly conditional with Gullard. Gighly

So what does this say of Gillard’s personal virtues?

Interestingly, with electoral awareness indeed quite vocal and conscious in Australia, McClelland has announced today that the Gillard government thus far will not cancel Assange’s Australian passport saying “it would be counter-productive”.

McClelland didn’t clarify to whom it would be ‘counter-productive’ but one can assume he is inferring to Gillard.

I think if people go back and read the posts from SWEDISH DAD all will be revealed. Of course, one has to accept that what he states is true, and I for one believe him – why would anyone lie about the assertions he makes. As a feminist, it seems to me, that the feminist belief of pursuing equality and justice for women has been abused in a very ugly and unjust manner, and brought about a situation, that under the pretext of protecting women from violence, unwanted pregnancies, particularly those brought about via rape, the legal fraternity has gone well and truly over the top. As I’ve said before, this makes me really angry, as it just gives women activists, on just and understandable campaigns a bad name. Now women in Sweden who’ve been canvassing real and just improvements to the justice system a kick in the guts.

I may be called naive, but my ‘gut’ reaction to Julian Assange, is that he’s the last man I’d feel afraid to meet on a dark night alone. He comes across as a sensitive human being with a profound sense of justice and respect for other humans – I don’t find him sneaky or slimy or with an untrustworthy persona – I could be wrong, but my ‘gut’ hasn’t been wrong very often – in fact, not at all.
And on another level, it makes no sense. Why would a person in his position, who wants to let the world know about the horrors brought about by hypocritical views/actions, go ahead and rape two women? Makes no sense! I think he’s a man of integrity who’s been set up. I hope he learns from this, and is super careful in future. After all, a young man engaging in consensual sex should be able to think, that he’s not breaking the law. As a feminist, I hope that in future HE is the one to insist on contraception out of a sense of resonsibility to the woman, and the belief, that he doesn’t want to make some woman pregnant. That’s my only criticism! He’s not a rapist! He doesn’t show me that he’s a violent man!

Julian Assange has mightily pissed off some extremely powerful, corrupt and ruthless people and agencies of government. If they only get him convicted on bogus charges of sex crimes that can be considered a relatively mild response on their part.

Normally when a dispute is a case of one person’s word against that of another where neither is known to one, one should withhold judgment. To decide that one of them is being truthful is to risk severe prejudice to the other if one happens to be wrong. However in this case it is clear that the off again on again prosecution and the original accusations are dodgy. I believe that Julian Assange has been terribly unwise in having sex with anyone given the strong motives that righteously indignant and moralizing hypocrites have to nobble him, but I cannot believe that he would have been so stupid as actually to engage in coercive sex.

Those who do not believe that benign western governments like those of the US and the UK engage in assassinations and dirty prosecutions are laughably naive and should consider the strange death of Dr David Kelly who embarrassed the Blair Government over the claim that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction of and the even stranger conviction of Aafia Siddiqui.

The afore linked article by Andy Worthington is a good introduction to Aafia Siddiqui’s case which exhibits all the signs of being a one where the Americans have treated someone so badly that they cannot afford for their actions to become known and need to prevent her from speaking to anyone until they can arrange for her unfortunate death. She is now locked up in a maximum security psychiatric prison for 86 years and authorities are doing everything they can to prevent any contact between Aafia and members of her family.

Thank you Mr Catlin. For weeks I have been hearing about these “rape” charges in the media but the references are extraordinarily short on detail. That suggested to me there was something of a political frame-up about it, but until now I haven’t known what.

I have commented elsewhere that I have a low regard for what Assange is doing with Wikileaks. I will go further: I believe he is a childish, naive, freedom-of-speech fundamentalist. I believe his activities endanger not so much a few irresponsible officials, but the process of global diplomacy itself.

However, trying to character-assassinate the man with irrelevant, trumped-up rape charges does not help the situation. It’s a disgrace. To fight dirty like this is unbecoming a civilized society. Discredit the man’s political ideas and actions; not his normal healthy social life.

RE : MARLOWE’S COMMENT “MCCLELLAND HAS ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT GILLARD GOVT WILL NOT CANCEL ASSANGE’S AUSTRALIAN PASSPORT”, PLEASE ADVISE WHERE THIS WAS ANNOUNCED. I’D LIKE TO BELIEVE.

RE : THEEVILONE’S SUGGESTION WE CONSIDER THE DEATH OF DAVID KELLY IN RELATION TO UK’S LIKELY ENGAGEMENT IN ‘ASSASSINATIONS AND DIRTY PROSECUTIONS’ IS APT INDEED.

BUT PERHAPS THE UK HAS COME TO REALISE THAT ITS TIME TO MAKE SOME DISTANCE FROM THE US IN THESE AFFAIRS. PERHAPS THERE’S A CHANCE TO REGAIN ITS IMAGE AS A COUNTRY ABIDING BY THE RULE OF LAW…. IF IT DECIDES TO REFUSE ASSANGE’S EXTRADITION TO SWEDEN OR THE US FOR PROSECUTION.

Assange may be a force of good for the world, and even if the allegations are true probably doesn’t deserve the shame that usually goes with more severe sexual crimes. But i’m slightly disturbed at the certainty with which many think the allegations should be dismissed.

Someone who periodically leaks state secrets in this way will always be able to use the ‘witch-hunt’ defense–he shouldn’t be exempt from having to provide a more substantive defense. More generally, i don’t think someone’s overall goodness should put them above the law (even Swedish law) or to spread their seed wherever they want.

The message is clear. If you are Australian and you annoy the United States, the Australian Government holds the official view that it is a US proxy and shall favour US demands over Australian citizens.

I think conscious moral Australians should rightly reject Gillard’s patsyism and look to NZ for sovereignty balls! Recall that the NZ Govt has long prohibited US militarist presence in its ports, while Australia has condoned it.

Classic COINTELPRO. J. Edgar Hoover would be proud. Also I’m guessing Sweden didn’t want the hassle and heat that having Assange protected under their journalism laws. But surely Sweden could have refused Assange protection without having to manufacture fake rape charges?

Julian Assange through Wikileaks did not leak the information, he cannot, he doesn’t have access to such information. Assange is a journalist and as we all know sources and their leaks are a journalists stock in trade. However, this distinction is being ignored in the official hysteria of governments to blame anyone but themselves for their folly. The leaks make it abundantly clear not just that the US-Anglo-European adventure in Afghanistan is doomed, but more importantly that the US, UK (and most likely Australia) governments) privately admit that too. Governments have been caught out lying to their electorates who are also the taxpayers who have funded these political adventures. These cables comprehensively expose the way political elites in Western democracies have been lying to their electorates and this goes someway to explaining the official hysteria about the revelations.

@FREECOUNTRY – A “freedom of speech fundamentalist”? Don’t we boast about our commitment to freedom of speech. When does that finish and fundamentalism take over? Why is he naive, when he shows the murder of journalists by the occupiers of Iraq, who are there illegally? When does the showing of mass murders become a ‘crime’ of naivety or ‘fundamentalism’? I thought murder was murder regardless of who commits it? I didn’t realise, that if you’re the biggest (and proudest) democracy on the planet, you should be protected from the Geneva Conventions or the International Criminal Court? Silly me!

Was the journalist for the New Yorker a ‘freedom of speech fundamentalist’ when he blew the lid on the torture going on at Abu Graib?I understand, that the only thing that has changed there, is the lack of cameras in operation.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but what do you think the response would have been if the crimes of the US/NATO/Allies were shown to be by Iran, or the PLO or Nth Korea??Shock, horror and screams of outrage I suspect. One of the major crimes committed have been the arrogance of the perpetrators, including Australia! No such outrage over the rapes and detention of women and even kids!

Forgive me if this has already been written above, but it has been suggested that the point of the allegation and charges (if not to distract from his work and smear his name) is to bring Assange to Sweden where rendition to the US is possible. Sweden has already obliged the US before in this act.

Liz45 – Well, there are competing principles of freedom involved here. On the one hand, freedom of speech and of the press.

On the other hand, there is a thing called the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Article 27 sections 2 and 3 say:
[2.The official correspondence of the mission shall be inviolable. Official correspondence means all correspondence relating to the mission and its functions.
3.The diplomatic bag shall not be opened or detained.]
Article 40 stipulates similar protection and inviolability of diplomatic privilege in third countries.

The purpose of the Vienna Convention is not to help states keep dirty little secrets and run dirty little wars, even though these are, of course, among the subjects of correspondence that come under its protection along with everything else. The purpose of the Convention is to keep lines of communication open, because the more freely states can talk to each other, without fear of every word being published in the media, the less likely they are to drop nukes on each others’ heads.

So I do not approve of what Assange is doing. All the same, I am less than impressed that Australian newspapers keep referring to “rape charges” while, unusually, omitting to add the details of the allegations, from which it would seem that the charges are quite specious.

Hank23 you are wrong – the law can work backwards and there are multiple examples of it happening all the time! One of the best is the Australian Bottom of the Harbour scheme prosecutions. And remember every leader prosecuted by those who deposed him – usually by changing the law and then applying it in retrospect. Assange is trying to get people like you to finally wake up to the big brother! If they want to hit you they always find a stick…

Well, in the words of Sir Humphrey Appleby, ‘Government is actually more open when it is less open. Open government is rather like the live theatre: the audience gets a performance. And it gives a response. But, like the theatre, in order to have something to show openly there must first be much hidden activity. And all sorts of things have to be cut or altered in rehearsals, and not shown to the public until you have them right.’ but what we have today is the constant rehearsal of a script not the getting it right, but the full of lies to sell to an ingenuous electorate.

This is no CIA conspiracy, even if I understand why it is tempting to believe that. This is about a vengeful jealous woman that in a rage decided to get even. And what better easier way huh? every day life for 5 million swedish men. If it had happened to anyone ellse less famous, he would just have been another one of thousands that get sent down after accusations of sexcrimes in Sweden.

Is it so hard to see that accusations of pedophilia and sexcrimes have been allowed to be used as weapons, after the hysteria that have been whipped up deliberatly for years?

1975 2000 acccusations about sexcrimes were reported every year to the police in Sweden.
2005 it is almost 15 000 accusations made every year. And still the real purps behimd this scam talks about “enourmous numbers of cases that never get reported”.

How and if the crazy feminist conspiracy is part of the “brave new world” I dont know. Just that it has been going on for too long in the dark. That it is masshysteria, and that innocent men, wrongly accused fathers, fatherless children, single mothers and the real victims of sexcrimes are the ones paying for it.

This is what this article is about, not CIA conspiracys or even Wikileaks, even though it is an intresting subject. But we need to open our eyes to the destruction of families and the demonisation of men that is going on everywhere. have misandy become so common and accepted that we no longer are able to even see it when it takes place right in front of our eyes?

In the words of Assanges brittish lawyer Mark Stephens:

“I feel as if I’m in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls. The prosecutor has not asked to see Julian, never asked to interview him, and he hasn’t been charged with anything.”

As a Swede I can comfortably recommend spending some time there, free and unzipped. The Swedish sin is still alive and well, and your chances of being accused of rape aren’t any greater there than anywhere else. The reason why the Assange case does stink is precisely because it isn’t (contrary to some of the misguided comments here) easy to be convicted for rape in Sweden. While it is true in theory, that a woman’s story being trustworthy can be enough, we all know how easy it is to cast doubt on someone’s story by questioning everything from the alleged victim’s sexual history, to their clothing, level of drunkenness etc. Without conclusive evidence, the court very rarely rules to the alleged victim’s advantage.

In other words: The hunt for Assange is clearly suspicious because generally, a rape victim in Sweden will be told that there’s not much the authorities (i.e. police and prosecutors) can do, and that a crime like this is generally very difficult to prove.

Otherwise Sweden is much like Australia (except a bit more technologically advanced, and easier on working parents): Both bureaucracies are a nightmare for a foreigner (I have experience of both) and we are both comfortably in the back pocket of the U.S of A

I wonder if the US or any of the other governments seeking to silence Wikileaks tried using diplomacy to do so.

Suppose Secretary of State Clinton had paid Assange the respect of an official visit, explained her view of the Vienna Convention and the role of diplomatic privilege in the avoidance of war, asked him what he wants to accomplish and why he is running Wikileaks, and commenced negotiations to see if Assange’s agenda could be served without airing every world leader’s dirty laundry.

It may be that Assange has particular concerns about the way government business is conducted which could have been addressed some other way. He clearly wields a lot of power, and clearly much of the global public takes him seriously, so perhaps a bit of negotiation and respect might have succeeded where legal threats are failing.

I’ll give a bit of an extreme example. On 26 Oct 1962 Jack Kennedy made a secret phone call to Nikita Kruschev. We now know that in that phone call, he told Kruschev that some missile bases the US had in Turkey were becoming obsolete and he was about ready to close them down.

It would be a turning point in a rather high-stakes chess game which was only a couple of moves away from checkmate. Eleven days earlier, a US spy plane had photographed medium range nuclear missiles set up in Cuba. This was so close to the US that the whole mutual deterrent effect in the bizarre game of nuclear standoff, came close to being neutralized. The inhuman, remorseless logic of the nuclear game dictated that if one side gained the ability to launch a nuclear strike without suffering a reprisal in kind, its best chance of survival would be to do so while the limited window of opportunity lasted. With more missile-laden ships on the way to Cuba, the USSR was days away from being able to do exactly that.

So 15 years of paranoia and mistrust had brought us to this. The spies who had served the Allies and the Russians so well in winning World War 2 had all but lost the peace, taking over foreign policy in both superpower governments, the State Department in the US and fairly much the entire Communist Party in the USSR, and had been playing shadow games across the world for the upper hand in the game to end all games. A handful of men in Washington DC and Moscow, some of them supremely calm, others not quite sane, would now determine whether civilization continued to exist. The whole world waited helpless for a despairing announcement on the radio that all was lost, and the flash of light that would be the last thing much of the human race ever saw.

On 27 October, Nikita Kruschev issued an ultimatum that Cuba was not to be invaded and American nuclear missiles in Turkey were to be withdrawn. Kruschev was losing the game, and he was losing face before his own Politburo. It seems like a trivial consideration at such a time, but to save his own job and perhaps his own life, he needed to convince his own people his brinkmanship had won a serious backdown from the US. But everything depended now on not asking questions to which he did not already know the answer.

Kruschev knew that Kennedy would agree to the Turkey demand, because Kennedy had already secretly told him so.

It’s not as if we go through a Cuban missile crisis every other week (our luck would have long since run out if we did) but if confidence in discreet communication between states helps avert a major war just once in a century, it’s worth preserving that discretion.

Not because of anything terribly important that any of these diplomats have discussed over the last couple of years, but because of what they might have to discuss next year, next month, or next week, while trusting that confidences can be kept. The world won’t end because of a few disparaging remarks made about some of the more idiosyncratic world leaders. But we don’t know what’s around the corner, and we never know when everything may hang in the balance on a conversation that is expected to be in confidence.

Lovely long exposition on the Cuban missile crisis. (!) However, its an exceptional case and both JFK and Kruschev were exceptional leaders.

They have been followed by lesser individuals and the world we live in now is not their world.

The internet has changed everything and like any new tool, including printing when it was first introduced, it is regarded with distrust. When Gutenberg’s press started publishing information previously only in the hands of clerics and the nobility, that elite was horrified and wanted it quashed. It diminished their power.

Equally the information revealed by Wikileaks through the internet provides information we the people are not supposed to have. It belongs only to those in power….. to be used by them for our common good (?) Unfortunately used mostly to manipulate, conceal or aggrandise….. (remember the wizard of OZ? We must not look behind the curtain)

Information can be used for beneficial or malign purposes….. and Freecountry has outlined only one exceptional case among the daily corruptions of power………. always hidden behind veils of secrecy.

A policy of surveillance and indictment/incarceration of the masses and a refusal to disclose government activities, especially in regards to war crimes?

Julian Assange is well served to turn himself in, and confront the first ever International Warrant for rape of women, ever issued in the world.

Let the world confront the masses regarding drone attacks, gov’t bio-terror labs and unchecked world police and conspiracies revolving mineral extraction and people’s water, land and heritage treasures.

@Swedish dad
I live in England and I assure you that what you describe it is completely unknown here and in the European Union in general… I was shocked by your revelations! And a quick search on the internet with names and places (and Google language translation) confirmed what you said. There is little information in languages other than Swedish, however, and the rest of the world does not even suspect something of this scale.

For this reason I ask your help: there is youtube channel that has the whole reportage by Evin Rubar. Here’s the link:

It’s in Swedish: can you manage to subtitle it in English?
It will be very easy then to spread it accross the net and it may become very relevant while the Assange’s story develops. Thank you in advance for your help.

By the way, good luck for everything, your personal story is very sad.

Xico, Kennedy was an exceptional leader; Kruschev was a brute thug whose “ending the fear” would have happened with or without him, probably better without him.

In any case, consider how many years of educated guesses about Kruschev’s psychology, his philosophy, his political situation, even his personal life, needed to go into the preparation for making that phone call and the messages that followed. An agglomerate of hundreds, perhaps thousands of frank and confidential personal appraisals of the Chairman and those around him, gathered from everyone who had ever come into contact with him, going back 20 or 30 years.

Consider what kind of insipid descriptions of key figures will need to be recorded from now on, when everyone fears whatever they say or write could end up in the papers:

Kim Jung-Il: “A really nice guy. I really like him a lot.”
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: “A fine head of state, everyone misunderstands him.”
Robert Mugabe: “A brave warrior, his citizens love him as children love their father.”

And so on. Anything more candid than that could lead to expulsion of diplomats. Good luck the next time Kim Jong Un threatens a nuclear strike on South Korea and the US President has to try to figure out what he’s thinking.

I have Rubars films and I can assure you they caused an uproar in Sweden when they were first televised in 2004. But the swedish “TV reviewboard” soon banned it from ever beeing showed again. Rubar was threatened and had to go in hiding for a period, the chairman(woman) of swedish feminist organisation ROKS that in an interview called men “animals” was sacrificed and had to resign, and soon the whole thing blew over. Nothing changed though. It just have continued to get worse.

If all the rape and violence verdicts would be translated and thereby accessible for foreign media, I think they would find a lot of them really intresting.

I really would like to translate the films (there are two parts). Right now though, personally I have problems to find the time. It´s also a question of economical survival for me. All the work I do is unpaid. I would never ever find a paying job as a journalist in Sweden. However I will write more of my blog articles in English from now on.

Hi Swedish Dad
I just think that things will change. As children get older they desire to asert themselves over
their parents will. If that past power has always denied contact, then it will be natural for the
child to rebel and seek the other. Best wishes

Hi everyone, new pom, stumbled on your site after following live on The Gaurdian
site re Julian. TV and radio coverage in UK is so bad. Tonight on News Night on BBC2
which is supposed to be ‘quality’ current affairs, it was obvious they knew very little
actual facts and the ex US Attorney General did not sound like he was the top Law Officer
or perhaps.. he did if you know what I mean.
Its very late over here but really enjoyed reading your comments.. Oh sorry about the
cricket old chaps…

Y’know Freecountry, the churn you mention, the build-up of info/opinions you say are required prior to leaders contacting each other is less important than the balls it takes to do the deed. Hats off JFK.Too bad they got him, balls they don’t like.

We now live in a communications world saturated with spin/ churn and all the regurgitations bureaucrats think necessary to justify their existence. Its a wonder we can all breathe without analysts, press agents, flak telling us what to do, when to do it and how….. it must be daunting to be a world leader in that super-blender.

All interested in this issue, I recommend the following commentators:-

Glen Greenwald a regular commentator on US politics and US legal issues for Salon.com;

Craig Murray Former UK ambassador to Usbekistan and prominent dissident.

I am a dedicated fan of both these writers and visit their sites daily hanging out for an update. Glen Greenwald already has several articles extremely critical of the behaviour of US and Canadian politicians who are calling for Assange to be assassinated, to be arrested and pushing various businesses to sever links with wikileaks. So far paypal, amazon, Mastercard, Visa and a swiss bank have done so. So far Glen Greenwald has about three articles on this issue so I will not post links seperately.

The funny thing, they love sex in Sweden. Sex is everywhere, taught to children, national funding for education, everyone gets to have as much as they want, gay politicians, no puritanical attitude about it per se. But there is this other thing going on at the same time, about Gender Equality, that has led to these bizarre contradictions.

Every one of us owes a debt to Julian Assange. Thanks to him, we now know that
our governments are pursuing policies that place you and your family in
considerably greater danger. Wikileaks has informed us they have secretly
launched war on yet another Muslim country, sanctioned torture, kidnapped
innocent people from the streets of free countries and intimidated the
police into hushing it up, and covered up the killing of 15,000 civilians ?
five times the number killed on 9/11. Each one of these acts has increased
the number of jihadis. We can only change these policies if we know about
them ? and Assange has given us the black-and-white proof.

Maybe the reinstatement of the rape charges after they’d been dismissed had to do not just with Marianna Ny’s reported desire to expand the definition of rape, but to secure a high profile conviction to show that Sweden is actually serious about convicting rapists.

If you can be guilty of rape for not using a condom in Sweden why is not the female partner also guilty of rape since it was consensual. There are female condoms. Since the female initialized the act, IE. approaching Mr. Assange, should not she be the person in control of the situation. If a person initiates sex for a reasons other then mutual pleasure or self satisfaction would not that indicate entrapment.

I am not trying to bash the female gender but I really do not regard women as a weaker sex I believe they are and should be treated equally in every way. So why would a court of a supposedly enlightened society (Sweden) treat them like can not look after themselves. If you are not equal partners in consensual sex then what are you, property?

We should all be judged equally for our actions. I believe we humans are one being with 2 wonderful aspects.

The fact is that around the world women are not equal to men. There are over 20 million slaves in the world, mostly women and girls. We own a pitiful amount of the worlds’ assets. Rape of mostly women and girls has always been a ‘tool’ of war, but in the last decade or more it’s become a horrific statistic. When the number of rapes and other crimes of violence, where women perpetrators equal mens, then you could say there’s equality. Women in this country have to work an extra 65 days per year in order to receive the same wage as men. Women make up approximately 85-90% of the victims of domestic violence. They are nowhere near the number of men who commit violent crimes, and the greatest threat to the health and safety of women in this country and others, is their husband/partner. A woman is killed every 10 days in Australia by her partner. The list goes on! these are just some!
There is no real equality in this country or others between men and women. Just because it’s talked about or politicians waft on about it, doesn’t make it so! Look at the professions and see who make all the decisions or hold positions of importance. I think there’s one(2?) High Court Judge who’s a woman – out of 7! Heads of Universities, Hospitals, most schools, banks, big department stores etc?

Look at who still makes the Laws; who enforces them. Who makes decisions in Parliament in business etc – not women as a general rule. Look at any other endeavour that moulds or dictate the rules we live by, and they’re usually made by men!

I’m guessing ‘female condoms’ refers to diaphragms. However, a diaphragm does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) so is not in the same league as a standard condom.

I don’t believe women will ever be regarded as equal. Governments can legislate endlessly but laws will never overcome the physiological and cultural differences – let alone the imbalance of testosterone/aggression.

@ZUT – Indeed, it just prevents sperm getting into the area where it could fertilize an egg. (I thought that I was going to learn something new?) As to the equality question, I couldn’t agree more, I just wish people would stop attesting to the fact, that we have equality between the sexes in Australia, or indeed the West, because we don’t! It was only 20 yrs or so ago, when a husband in NSW could rape his wife and get away with it – there was no LAW! Not that long ago was it? Women are still being ‘passed’ from one man to another via marriage(although we dress it up to look l-o-v-e-l-y and ??)Yes, I did it too, but that was the 1960’s and I was only 171/2!

It was only in the late 70’s where I had a stand up protracted ‘fight’ with a major retail store, to have my account in my own name, without my then husband’s signed permission??I eventually won, but not until after my local State MP took the fight to parliament – he was ahead of his time, bless him. I used the store for school clothes etc, my husband got a Xmas card each year, thanking him for his custom(he never purchased a hankie even) – he thought it was a joke, I was not amused! A decent bloke would’ve corrected them, but?He wasn’t!

Much lip service re equality, but the wheels are grinding along very slowly!

I’m guessing ‘female condoms’ refers to diaphragms. However, a diaphragm does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) so is not in the same league as a standard condom.

This is incorrect, Google female condom and you can watch a video on how it is installed. Basically it is a larger version of the standard with supporting rigs to keep it in position. Think plastic baby bottle liner, sorry if the analogy offends.

LIZ45
(I thought that I was going to learn something new?)

You did.

You are quite right about the lack of equality. I can only do my little part.

Biologically no one is all male or all female. Gender dominance is not black and white but a spectrum of varying degrees. Think of it as who is more male, a large membered specimen or one that shaves twice a day, or who is more feminine a large breasted person or one that he 15 Children. It is subjective to the person comparing.

There are no omega males or females. We are all both, with various tendencies either way.

The closest thing to absolute gender is the sperm and the egg.

It took me 40 years to really understand I have a feminine side, not just words. I would not have it any other way. I am far stronger a person for it. Indeed, I sense that we are not complete as a person unless embrace our otherness. In abusing others we abuse ourselves.

We are spiritual beings, we are not our sex. We are far more but only if we want to be.

Look at who still makes the Laws; who enforces them. Who makes decisions in Parliament in business etc – not women as a general rule. Look at any other endeavour that moulds or dictate the rules we live by, and they’re usually made by men!

There’s progress, we have a female Prime Minister, the top law maker in the land.

@SWEDISH DAD – The gender war? The lack of women representation in too many areas that are basic to how women live their lives is part of the problem, of why women are so far behind re rights and having a say in establishing policies, Laws and other rules. We’re making some progress, but there’s still a long way to go. The 1960’s was the beginning, that’s all!

As for having a female PM? As others have said, it depends on the policies she introduces. As far as the Equal Pay case goes, she went back on her commitment to support the ASU Test case. She was outraged when she received heaps of criticism from around the country, but the fact was, that the Govt Submission was a ‘yes, but’ response. She just realised it seems, that paying women a just wage will cost money, however, the Union has said, that it’s quite happy for it to be phased in! We’ll see!

Just because it’s women behind this case re Assange in no way diminishes the fact, that the majority of women are not receiving equality and justice all around the world – it’s not just Sweden and/or Australia – it’s everywhere, particularly in impoverished countries. For instance, women around the world walk 200 million hours a day just to get water!

The latest reports(ABC 1pm News) re Julian’s case points to what many people have thought from the outset. Apparently, in the US the Grand Jury is organising for Assange to face espionage charges. It would appear, that the alleged case in Sweden is a smoke screen – a means to have him detained. The ‘thlot pickens’ as they say! Watch this space!

@Meski “Sweden have gone too far in the other direction with this though.”

Appearances can be deceptive. The feminisation of a hierarchical and patriarchal power structure doesn’t necessarily transform that power structure in any significant manner beyond possibly beveling off some of the edges. Nothing transformative has occurred through its feminisation, if anything Sweden has become increasingly right wing and aligned over the last 20 years, dismantling its socialist structure and gradually abandoning its cherished neutrality. While Sweden has easily the highest reported number of rapes in Europe, its conviction rates have decreased over the last 20 years: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-rape-allegations-freedom-of-speech (read the letter by Katrin Axelsson of Woman Against Rape).

This is a typical example of the great magic trick that feminism have used forever. They start listing all the bad things that happen to women worldwide, and think that this is proof that women are being oppressed and discriminated against. And we fall for it every time without seeing the actual illusion. Dont you see it yourself? This eternal message has made us totally blind on one eye.

This is the feminist logic.
Women suffer, therefore women are victims of oppression.

Would have to also include the following statement (but this is however never mentioned in the feministic rethoric).

Men does not suffer. Men does not bleed, hurt, cry, make sacrifices, carry their weight, etc.

Equals

Women are victims
Men are offenders

Equals
Feminism

If I were a woman I would despice an ideology that stamped “victim” with red fat ink on my forehead from the day I was born. I would surely have a hard time trying not to be one after that.

Sometimes it almost feels like feminists are somehow ashamed of their sex. And their solution is to make us men ashamed of ours too. What good can ever come of that?

MESKI – If the position was for a Government position it would be illegal, but there are other ways. For example, perhaps they call them by different titles. I’ve been out of the workforce for 27 years, so not up with public servants. I do know about community workers though!

The position as it relates to members of the ASU(Australian Services Union) Test Case relates to people who work in the community sector(mostly women)who are paid less than workers doing similar or the same work in Government/s. There’s also the added aspect of men doing similar work are paid more than women. Women have to work 65 more days per year to receive the same income as men. So, it’s a double whammy for women. A good example is child care workers at community based centres who do the same work as govt run centres, but are paid much less – same qualifications etc.

@SWEDISH DAD – I am not ashamed of being either a woman or a feminist. On the contrary, I wouldn’t swap being a mother for example, for anything.

When men deny the realities of the extent of discrimination etc, they suffer also. Men are the victims of too many crimes of violence also, the difference being that the perpetrators are more likely to be strangers – pubs, clubs, workplaces, on the street, and/or other male family members.
The facts can’t be denied, and I don’t think this is the place for indepth discussion about discrimination – another site perhaps. The only people in my life who stamped me as a “victim” were (overwhelmingly) men. The main exception was the nun who bashed me at school!

Women are more at risk of violence than men, particularly by men who profess to love and protect them. Men suffer more acts of violence per se, but mostly by men who are strangers, in their workplace or by other male members of their family. Look at crimes of rape – women are overwhelmingly those who are the recipients of these crimes.

It’s all very well for men, most who are much bigger than I am, to accuse women of having a ‘victim mentality’ when they don’t have the same fear of being injured or killed. In Australia, a woman is murdered approx every 10 days by her partner – no such stats even come close for men. Men are usually killed when committing a crime, either by police or?; when in public places like pubs and clubs and on the street; initiation ‘ceremonies’ at work; and even by male members of their families. Much different for women and girls. I am reluctant to go out at night, particularly if I’m going to be in an unlit area or coming home late. I have little to no hope of defending myself without a weapon and a ‘get in first’ situation.

A few years ago, a bright spark’s solution to the high incidence of female rapes, was to decree, that women had to be off the street after dark! How smart was that?

It’s only 20-30 years when the Law was changed so that married men could be charged with rape – that’s not that long ago! It’s been a long battle, and it’s not over yet!
There is also a realistic situation where men have a more ‘privileged’ position in life, just because they’re men!

By denying the reality of women and girls being so prominent in crimes of violence, we’ll never reach a stage when committing these crimes is viewed in the same way as driving a car while drunk! I hope that happens while I’m still on the planet!

Well, I thought your argument would be considerably more nuanced that that, and now that I see its construction, I regret invoking it as correct…I should have read your earlier arguments – my bad.

“Feminist logic” is not monolithic. However, its foundation rests upon the experience of power relations and how they have generally favoured men in most societies that exist in the world today. Feminism analyses and quantifies it, occasionally prescribing remedies and palliatives. There are many schools of thought in feminism, from the mild to the extreme, just as there are in any philosophy.

Need to just make a short reply.
I just got the crime statistics from one of the areas in Sweden.

Serious domestic abuse that led to severe injuries and was reported to the police in 2009
Victims:

Women: 8
Men: 10

See something wrong with this picture?

And I also have to once again point out that you, although probably unaware of it, uses false logic yet again.

Feminist logic:
More men suffers death or severe injuries through violence.
Less women suffer death or severe injuries through violence, but they stand a higher risk to do so in their homes.

equals

Women suffers more FROM death or severe injuries even though less of them get killed or beaten up.

Ergo, women are opressed and discriminated against. I have studied enough arguments from swedish feminists to learn to start seeing through them.

Do you think the last thought that goes through a guys head after he gets stabbed in the street is: “Thank god it didnt happen at home”?

Or is the logic possibly that since a few guys beat up or murder their wifes, others deserve to be murdered in the street? Dont you see the hidden misandry in what you are writing? Probably not. We are being fooled to believe that a blow to a man is less of a crime than a blow to a woman. But the pain is just as bad whether you are big or small.

Why do you call yourself a feminist and at the same time as you claim to be for equality? Equality can never be obtained by feminism. And the simple reason is that it does not recognize that both genders have the same value. Feminism is the notion that men as a group dominate and control women as a group and that true equality cant be obtained before women as a group suffers as little or less than as men as a group.

Cant you see the glitch in this logic if you really give it a serious go?

@SWEDISH DAD – Serious domestic abuse that led to severe injuries and was reported to the police in 2009
Victims:

Women: 8
Men: 10

If only we had stats like that. My point was, that more men are victims of crime by strangers – that is, outside the home, usually by a stranger – pubs etc. Women aquire their injuries in the home by someone they know, their husband/partner. I’m talking about Australia’s stats, not Sweden – I don’t live there, I live here – and you don’t!

Look, I don’t want an argument with you over feminism or humanism or? I’m 65 yrs old. I’ve been on the receiving end of violence more times than I like to remember, and I know from experience, that the males I sought help/protection/upholding of laws etc were men. Your experience is different probably due to your sex – it’s called ‘male privilege’ and is alive and well in Australia.
Stick to what you know, and give me credit for knowing what I’m talking about, but more importantly a heap of things (surveys/reports/articles/biographies) I’ve read and many, many women’s stories!

I DO NOT need a man to tell me that I’ve got it wrong, when he has not one ‘squillionith’ of an idea what my reality has been. Please don’t reinforce my view, that men have to tell us women where we’re wrong – for our own good, of course!
This may be a surprise to you, but you don’t have a god given right to know everything about this issue, or equality either for that matter!

How old are you? In your late 30’s 40’s? You don’t have a clue about my life!

I don´t know if you are a Swahili goatherder, and I dont care since even they have the right to utter their oppinions here.

I am however a Swedish dad. My name is Joakim Ramstedt, and I have two children. One boy 12 years old and one girl who turns 6 today on the 17:th of December. If you want you can contact the swedish tax office to get this confirmed.

Unfortunatly I cant celibrate my girl today since her mother is hiding her from me. I wont even get to say happy birthday over the telephone. This is because my daughter have a grandmother who has gotten it into her head that I am the devil. And that I should never get to ever see my daughter again. why?

Because she once came back from a visitation weekend and mentioned that she had seen daddys wee wee. She was three and a half years old at the time and in an afe where she became curious about those things.

I was reported to the police and separated by force from my daughter for almost a year, while she instead was placed with the grandmother. A member of a known cult.
I was investigated by the police, procecutor, chiefprocecutor, the CPS (twice) ,a childpsychologit investigated my daughter. and my daughter (now 4yo were interrogated by the police twice) They all came to the same conclusion. No anuse whatsoever had been committed by me against my child.

But granny wasn´t satisfied. Last Sunday she kidnapped daughter and granddaughter and they are now beeing hidden.

So dont you dare tell me I am not a Swedish father you insensitive Pr***.
How I wish I was a Swahili goatherder. I´m sure they lead much more carefree lives than us

Sweden’s ghosts of National Socialism are back to haunt us all again.
The Assange case is concrete proof that Sweden is not the modern liberal democracy that we are so often lead to believe but a battle ground of uber nationalism v humane capitalism.
It was in 1940 that the Swedes were issued an ultimatum from Hitler; be invaded by German troops or simply allow those same troops to travel by train and road through Sweden to surprize and ultimately overthrow their neighbour Norway. History of course shows that the powers that were in Sweden reneged on their Nordic alliance and assisted the Nazis invade Norway, with disastrous results for coastal Norway and the allied naval forces.
Of course Sweden reminds the world that they were also a safe haven for those escaping the Nazi regime. A somewhat moot counter point as Swedish banks and industry supplied Hitler’s war machine on a massive scale, prolonging the war and the likely death of millions.
Many Swedes regretted the cowardly actions of their wartime government and tried to make amends by creating a model capitalist social democracy. This is the familiar Sweden we so often hear about. Though the uber nationalist Sweden flourishes still just under the surface.
Stieg Larrson, journalist and author of the spy novels Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series sheds light on the murky underworld of Swedens power elite. Larrson’s serious journalistic work focussed on the very active neo-nazi groups that have and continue to flourish in this Northern Kingdom.
Unlike most of Europe Sweden never squared up with their Nazi past and many believe powerful elements continue tobankroll and support neo nationalist forces throughout Europe.
Julian Assange may have been attracted to Sweden by it’s liberal copyright laws that allow publishing of all manner of things; music, movies, terrorist instructions, extreme political propoganda etc. Julian and co. have found out that Sweden also has a dark and brutal uber nationalist side that will trade in whatever anti-democratic toxin it likes as long as it serves their narrow national interest.
Of course another sweet irony of “freewheeling” Sweden is it’s aggressive sexual laws and Julian is finding out that institutionalised chauvinism is not just the domain of traditional male dominated societies around the world.